Roy Sumner Pfeil

Roy Pfeil's Wonderful Life

Roy Sumner Pfeil died at his home in Scarborough, Maine on August 23, 2025. Surrounded by the love of his immediate family, Roy finally succumbed to melanoma, a disease he fought valiantly for three years. In death as in life, he was decisive, kind, and steady.

Roy was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 30, 1934, to George W. Pfeil and Ruth Thomas. He was the eldest of three sons and is survived by his brother Jeff.

Roy wrote the below for his 65th Class Reunion at Dartmouth in 2020. We chose to quote his distinctive, humorous and gratitude filled voice, adding a few biographical details:

"The sixty-five years since we graduated from Dartmouth have gone by in a flash. I have been blessed with good health, a fine family, worthy friends, a rewarding business career, and interesting experiences. My life has been very happy, due in no small degree to luck rather than skill or merit on my part.

Upon graduating from Dartmouth, I served two years as a naval officer. The first year, I was on a ship on the U.S. east coast and the Caribbean. Then, I spent a year attached to a USMC battalion as an air and naval gunfire liaison officer, at Camp Lejeune and in the Mediterranean.

Upon graduation from Harvard Business School in 1959, I joined Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati, where I was in product management. I was enticed away from P&G by Noxell Corporation (Cover Girl makeup; Noxema shaving cream) as head of European marketing, headquartered in London.

Next step was a boutique consulting firm, Glendinning Associates, in London and in Westport, CT. A bunch of us smartass thirty-somethings were overpaid to tell senior management in big international companies how to do things better.

Finally, in my late thirties I joined MBI, Inc., a privately held $500 million company that specializes in direct-to customer sales of consumer products. Reporting to the founder/CEO, I headed various subsidiary businesses in the USA and London. I worked at MBI happily for some 30+ years, until I retired so my wife and I could travel without worrying about the business thousands of miles away.

I have had a lot of fun, thanks in large part to imaginative planning by my adventurous wife, Topsy. We have skied in the Rockies and the Alps. Snorkeled with whales and tropical fish in the South Pacific. Gone safari "glamping" in Africa. Taken multi-day treks in the Himalayas, the Atlas, the Andes and New Zealand's South Island. Crawled through the Viet Cong's claustrophobic Cu Chi tunnels. Bareboated from island to island in the Caribbean.
Less strenuously, we have dined in excellent restaurants in France and Tokyo, seen great theatre in London and NYC, and spent several weeks each summer on a beautiful remote island in Penobscot Bay, Maine.

What a rich variety of experiences we have shared!

When I was younger, I said and did some things I wish I could rescript. The memory of them embarrasses me.

But offsetting those regrets, I am proud that my wife, who is an admired, accomplished and interesting woman, considered me worthy of being her husband. I am proud of our three daughters, Anneliese (with first wife Susan Pfeil), Samar and Alexandra : they are smart, talented, happily married, and seem to like being with us. Our seven delightful grandchildren are a joy: Devin, Natalia, Tyler, Noor, Devens, Eula and Seymour. (Spouses: David, Devie and Reed.)

I am proud to have served as chair for two wonderful Boards. The Greenwich Choral Society is a classical chorus, and the New Canaan Country School branch of Horizons, a charity that fosters the education and character development of underprivileged kids. I expanded Horizons service by co-founding a branch in Norwalk CT. I served as Class Secretary for Harvard Business School.

All in all, I have been gifted a wonderful life. I am grateful."

Roy is deeply missed by his many friends and family. When asked what wisdom he gleaned from his 90 years, he said "work hard and be kind." He made a lasting and permanent imprint on our lives and we will forever carry him in our hearts.